Another Thread About NYP

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Everydaymatters

Everydaymatters

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May 15, 2006
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3,406
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Just North of Normal, Illinois
I just read Penny's thread about the Amtrak police vehicle and I'm glad to know they're active at NYP. That makes me feel that my friend and I will be safe while there. I have never been in NYP so I read the past threads and the reviews at Trip Advisor and they are not pretty.

I understand the reason why there is only a 10 minute window in which the track number is posted and the mad scramble to get to the track, but things I have read talk about the escalator. What about elevators? Are there any I could use?

What about red caps? Some of the reviews stated the red caps did not show up for them as promised. Maybe they're more plentiful now. Has anyone here used them? If so, how did that work out for you?

Penny, I feel absolutely positive you avoided the restrooms, so you probably don't know, but can someone tell me the conditions of the restrooms? Are they clean(er) in the Amtrak waiting area?
 
I felt safe at NYP this past weekend.

I only used the bathroom there once - early morning. It was clean.

There's an area in the waiting room for people who need assistance and it's right at the red cap desk.

I'm sure there are elevators but I did not pay attention to where they were.
 
There are bathrooms on the Amtrak section of the concourse, but not in the waiting area itself. (The waiting area is sort of a bullpen in the middle of the concourse itself).

Last time I used the men's room it was adequate.

If you are travelling in First Class, the bathrooms in the Acela waiting area are clean.

Red Caps are easy to find in the Amtrak Waiting area or will be called to the Acela waiting area if you are in there.

As for elevators I've never figured it out, but yes there are. I believe you have to take one down from the main concourse area (behind the Amtrak Police booth) and then transfer to a different area if you're going to any track other than I think 6/7. A Red Cap can definitely help you.
 
The elevators are a bit confusing, since it is a 2 step process. One from the main level to the middle level, another set from the mid level down to the platforms. They are not adjacent. If you were coming from the street, you could add a third set. Most people just go down the escalators, but that is not always possible if you have large amounts of luggage, or mobility aids.
 
Please use a Recap Betty, NYP can be confusing and crazy busy!

The Elevators and Escalators are difficult to use, especially the Escalators which are usually going UP from the Platforms. The Redcaps have a Key that reverses them and they usually will Pre-Board you by using

them versus the Elevator.
 
Railroad Bill said:
Everydaymatters said:
I wish I could use the Acela lounge, but I won't be able to. They don't let BC pax in.
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Hello Betty I sent you a PM about passes for the Acela Lounge we have. Let me know if you would like them RRB
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I am not able to use them because we won't be traveling until next Spring and the passes are good until December. Bill, again, thank you for your generous offer. It is very much appreciated.
 
Use a Red Cap Betty. As said, there is a special waiting area for passengers who need special assistance. If you request a Red Cap on your arriving train, they will take you right to that area to wait.

Yes, there are elevators at NYP. I have use them many times with Red Caps. As said, there is one from the "main" floor near track 7/8. You go down to the next level (the LIRR Concourse), but from there you can get to each track via another elevator.

There are many Red Caps around. If you are (say) staying overnight and taking a cab to NYP, there are also Red Caps at the taxi entrance.
 
NYP can be a confusing and daunting place, but only if you let it. If you are just coming in to take an Amtrak train, ignore the NJT area, ignore the LIRR concourse, and ignore the passages to the subways. Assuming you have your tickets, go to the ticketed passenger waiting area, let them know you need a red cap for pre boarding. Being a 24/7 warm place, the station can attract street people particularly in the coldest weather, but the station is well patrolled, and the waiting area is for passengers only. There are plenty of shops for anything you might want, but for confidence reasons, you can just go to the ones in the main area. If you are not ticketed, the ticket windows are right there, as well as Quick-Trak machines. Are you picking up a train that originates in NYP or one that starts North?
 
Betty, you are correct that I have not used restrooms in NYP (other than in the Acela Lounge). I agree that NYP can be confusing, but there are plenty of signs around, but there are also a lot of people around. Sometimes you have to cross a line of people to get where you are going. Betty W managed to find her way from her train, to the main floor, out the 7th Ave. exit and to her hotel without much trouble.

I agree with the redcap suggestion and agree that the elevators are confusing. I was with someone who knew his way around NYP and when there was a last minute gate change, he directed a group of us (who had lined up from the lounge) to an elevator that took us where we wanted to go. I could not have done it on my own.

I have always felt safe in NYP. There is a lot of security, but there are also a lot of "different" folks hanging around.
 
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pennyk said:
Betty, you are correct that I have not used restrooms in NYP (other than in the Acela Lounge). I agree that NYP can be confusing, but there are plenty of signs around, but there are also a lot of people around. Sometimes you have to cross a line of people to get where you are going. Betty W managed to find her way from her train, to the main floor, out the 7th Street exit and to her hotel without much trouble.
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7th Avenue Exit.

Manhattan is weird below 8th St and somewhat weird below 14th St. There is no 7th St. west of Cooper Pl/3rd Ave. and east of there it is called East 7th St. and that is far far away from Penn Station. The area west of Broadway down there has the weird phenomenon of West 4th St. intersecting with the likes of West 10th, 11th and 12th Streets and finally ending at W 13th St.! It would also have crossed West 9th St. had it not changed its name to Christopher St. before it intersects W 4th St. which it does in Sheridan Square on 7th Ave. If 5th St had not changed its name to Washington Place, it would intersect that too at Sheridan Square! Want to get truly confused? Go to downtown Manhattan :)
 
the_traveler said:
But is there a 7th ROAD? :huh:

Many towns have a Main Street, but Newport, RI does not. They have a Main Road! And actually there are 2 - East Main Road and West Main Road!
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NewArk DE has had a East & West Main St for a long time. Not too long ago they added South Main Street (renamed a portion of an existing road)
 
Manhattan (the borough) does have a "Main Street", but it is located on Roosevelt Island, not Manhattan Island....
 
PVD said:
Kudos for someone 1000 miles away to get that, I live in Queens (Northern, not Southern, though), it's a little easier for me.
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You have to remember that I spent 37 years as a resident first of Suffolk County, Long Island and then of Monmouth and Essex Counties NJ and visited numerous parts of the New York Metropolitan area, many that are not frequently visited by outsiders, over that period.

railiner said:
Manhattan (the borough) does have a "Main Street", but it is located on Roosevelt Island, not Manhattan Island....
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AFAICT, each of the five boroughs that constitute New York City has a Main Street of its own.
 
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There is no 7th street exit to NYP, there is a 7th Ave exit. That is nowhere near the village/Sheridan Square area.

Lot's of places have multiple variations of Main St, my city has an East Main St, Main St & West Main St plus a pedestrian crossing called Old Main St (although there are no addresses there and it is now private property). Our East Main St was long thought to be a myth and most residents could not agree on where it actually started. The Post Office will deliver to Main or East Main with the same numbers as there are no duplicates. A few years ago I found out that unitl 1982 East Main St was not a real name but then the city changed it when a large shopping mall cut US1 in half and used that as the dividing line. West Main is a whole other story because there are no numbers between 500 & 1900 One block has the 500's and the next block starts the 1900's, although there was a 600 that was after 1900 but that was made to change. So NYC does not have exclusive rights to confusing streets.
 
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